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Two unlicensed living facilities shut down in St. Pete due to 'deplorable conditions'

According to the St. Petersburg Police Department, both of the unlicensed facilities were run by Tampa Bay Behavioral Health and were located at 3434 2nd Ave. S. and 3413 2nd Ave. S.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Two unlicensed living facilities in St. Pete have been shut down due to 'deplorable conditions' Thursday.

Nicole Ford trusted her son with a disability would be safe at Tampa Bay Behavioral Health centers. Yet, photos she snapped paints a disgusting picture of how he and the other patients lived.

"It looks like an abandoned home," she said, "That’s literally what he has them living like and he gets their check every month."

According to the St. Petersburg Police Department, both of the facilities were run by Tampa Bay Behavioral Health and owned by Marcus Anderson. The facilities were located at 3434 2nd Ave. S. and 3413 2nd Ave. S.

The 'deplorable conditions' included no running water, no power, broken windows, along with drug paraphernalia that was discovered.

Yolanda Fernandez SPPD: "Clearly this place is not fit to live and these are some of our more vulnerable residents, it’s really very sad."

We’re told the buildings were separated by women and men. An officer following up on a robbery and being invited inside is how the violations were exposed, according to Fernandez.

There are currently nine displaced disabled adults that were residing at the facility. There may be additional residents displaced as well.

Agencies are on scene to help relocate the adults.

Officials say the owner used extension cords to steal power for one of the buildings. As of right now, he hasn't been arrested, but that could change.

As for Nicole, she’s taking her son home, the only place she feels he’ll be safe now. "I’m furious and I am going to sue him," she added.

An online abuse reporting tool for the Florida Department of Children and Families' Florida Abuse Hotline is now available at reportabuse.dcf.state.fl.us.

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